Education is an extremely important pillar of an effective anti-doping program and is the first line of defense in protecting the rights of clean athletes. USADA provides extensive anti-doping education to thousands of athletes each year on topics including prohibited substances, whereabouts requirements, the sample collection process, dietary supplement awareness, therapeutic use exemptions, and the general rules and guidelines of competing clean.

USADA makes available a number of drug reference resources for athletes, beyond general education, that can assist athletes and their support personnel with medical related questions. Our team of scientists and pharmacy and supplement advisers have the experience and expertise to assist with questions ranging from prohibited medications to therapeutics use exemptions and dietary supplement safety.

As a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), USADA provides athletes with an avenue to apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) or medical exemption for a prohibited substance through a process that is compliant with both the Code and the WADA International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions.

This is what most often comes to mind when thinking about drug testing. It’s the collection of an athlete’s blood and/or urine sample at an event (in-competition testing) or another location (out-of-competition testing), and securing it for shipment to the laboratory. To date, USADA has collected nearly 100,000 athlete samples in accordance with the World-Anti-Doping Code and International Standard for Testing. Our team of 50+ doping control officers stationed throughout the country have the experience and know how to get the job done, safely, securely and with the utmost integrity.

In compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code, USADA is charged with handling the results management and adjudication process for U.S. athletes in Olympic, Paralympic, and Pan American and ParaPan American Sport. The use of USADA, an independent agency, to handle results management, removes the inherent conflict of interest associated with sport organizations trying to both grow and promote their sports, as well as potentially removing from competition athletes found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation. USADA’s process affords a full and fair legal process to athletes including the use of independent AAA/CAS arbitrators in determining violations.

Science plays a crucial role in the fight for clean competition, and USADA’s expert scientists are leaders in the anti-doping community globally. One of the most important areas where USADA’s science team has significant impact is research and scientific advancement in methods and practices that detect and deter the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport. USADA’s science team is also responsible for a yearly, global anti-doping science symposium, substances education for athlete, and other initiatives supporting anti-doping efforts.

WADA Code Signatory

The World Anti-Doping Code and accompanying International Standards lay the framework for the strongest anti-doping programs in sport. As a WADA Code Signatory, USADA joins more than 600 organizations world wide in harmonizing the fight for clean sport. Learn More

2015 International Standards

USADA testing services at your event?

USADA offers a range of anti-doping program services to help event organizers preserve the integrity of their competitions and the rights of clean athletes. From education to drug reference resources, sample collection and result management services, USADA is a leader in the anti-doping movement globally.

What’s the difference between a direct and indirect marker of doping? When the laboratory method detects the presence of a prohibited substance (or its metabolites) in the blood or urine of an athlete, it is known as a direct marker of doping. Indirect markers are biological variables that can be measured and are related to…

Why does USADA require that I sit for at least 20 minutes prior to collecting a blood sample? Water in the body moves readily from the blood vessels into the space between the cells in the body. Posture has a strong effect on how much water flows into or out of the blood vessels. Research…

As a signatory to the WADA Code, USADA sends all samples to independent laboratories that are recognized as accredited and monitored by WADA. There is currently a global network of 32 WADA accredited laboratories, including two in the United States: The Sports Medicine Research Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Utah and the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory…

Annual USADA Science Symposium

The annual USADA Science Symposium, now in its 13th year, is a global gathering of some of the brightest minds in anti-doping science. The event draws industry experts from around the world including WADA-accredited laboratories, Anti-Doping organizations, International Federations of the Olympic Movement, and other scientific experts from the field of that year’s particular symposium topic.

TrueSport is a community outreach and education program powered by USADA that seeks to ensure a positive youth sport experience. Through parents, coaches, athletes, educators, TrueSport Camps, Ambassadors and more, TrueSport advocates the importance of crucial life lessons that can be learned through sport.